Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities is staying seated, just like a Liberal. We are being told that this is a private matter between the Canada Border Services Agency and the airport. It is not a private matter, it is a matter that concerns the 60,000 people from the region who are tired of the inaction of the Conservative government, a government that wants to deprive them of their economic engine. The entire tourism industry is affected.

The question is simple: will the government pay the cost of customs services and accord this airport the same status as all of the other similar airports?

Dave MacKenzieParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety

Mr. Speaker, although we cannot disclose the information about private discussions taking place between the CBSA and the airport, discussions are ongoing pursuant to conditions in the agreement signed by CBSA and the airport. CBSA hopes to find a resolution upon which they both can agree.

Mr. Speaker, last week, I asked the Minister of the Environment about the precarious financial position of the upper St. Lawrence and southern estuary priority intervention zone committees. Their previous contribution agreements with Environment Canada expired on March 31, and they are still waiting for the department to sign new ones.

Will the minister make a promise today to put an end to this unacceptable suspense and sign the contribution agreement immediately?

Mr. Speaker, as the member well knows, the government is committed to a cleaner environment. After a decade of denial, a decade of neglect from the Liberals, it is this government that is protecting species at risk. This government is cleaning up the environmental mess left by the Liberals. It is this government that is actually doing something on the environment.

Mr. Speaker, apparently the parliamentary secretary does not know what a priority intervention zone committee is. They are also known as ZIPs. The upper St. Lawrence ZIP will exhaust its line of credit on May 30. After that, the employees will be dismissed.

Will the minister take this situation seriously and make sure that these employees, who are dedicated to protecting the St. Lawrence River, are not fired?

Mr. Speaker, the member also knows the commitment of the government to clean up waterways.

We are the first government that is stopping the dumping of raw sewage, another legacy of the Liberal government. It was Liberal policy that it was an acceptable practice to dump raw sewage. It is not with this government. We are cleaning up the environment.

Mr. Speaker, today the government announced that it is shutting down the MAPLE reactor project at AECL. This technology was being developed to replace the aging NRU reactor at Chalk River, which produces medical isotopes.

Considering the isotope shortage crisis that the government created earlier this year, how can it tell us that this decision will not have a negative impact on the secure and long term supply of the medical isotopes?

Mr. Speaker, our government has accepted the decision of AECL to terminate the MAPLE project to allow it to focus on its core business responsibilities.

I am surprised the Liberals are getting on their feet and asking this question. The project began 12 years ago under their leadership. They were warned that it was a high-risk project. It has been plagued since its inception with problems. It has cost hundreds of millions of dollars and has technological challenges. The MAPLE project has never produced one isotope.

This will not impact isotope production in Canada, period.

One thing we do know is this government is taking leadership and acting, something the Liberal government could not do the entire time it was in office.

Mr. Speaker, I will tell members what I am surprised about. I am surprised that the minister is here answering questions. I hope he does not disappear like he did last time.

The minister told us at the natural resources committee that the National Bank review of AECL was completed. We know the government is secretly considering the privatization of AECL. This decision appears to be nothing but the government using taxpayer money for this writeoff.

Will the minister simply admit that this decision will make the privatization of AECL easier?

Mr. Speaker, this is a good business decision. This is the right decision for the Canadian taxpayer. It is the right decision for AECL. It is the right decision for the medical community.

We all know, under the leadership of the former Liberal government, the Liberals spent hundreds of millions of dollars on this project. It is eight years behind schedule. It has been plagued with problems from its inception.

The Auditor General said, “I would certainly hope that somebody is going to take a good look at this particular project, assess very closely what is the likelihood of success”. That is exactly what we have done. We are providing the leadership. It is high time that somebody did.

Mr. Speaker, twice now the foreign affairs minister has ducked my question about whether his government supports an international ban on all cluster bombs. Both times he has simply read identical evasive lines; that is, they want to “reduce the harmful effects of certain types of cluster bombs”.

Will the minister put away his script today and admit that his government actually opposes an international ban on all cluster bombs?

Deepak ObhraiParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and to the Minister of International Cooperation

Mr. Speaker, Canada shares the goal of reducing the negative humanitarian impact of certain types of cluster munitions. Canada has never used cluster munitions. We are destroying whatever cluster munitions we have.

We have agreed to participate in the Oslo process. We are actively participating in meetings in Oslo, Lima and Vienna.

Next week, in Dublin, the international community meets to seek a ban on all cluster bombs, a ban that follows in the proud footsteps of Canada's efforts a decade ago to ban landmines. However, the minister is not even attending. He is sending a junior note-taker in his place.

Why is the government so indifferent to the horrendous effects of all cluster bombs, particularly, on innocent civilians?

Deepak ObhraiParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and to the Minister of International Cooperation

Mr. Speaker, Canada has never used cluster munitions. We are actively participating in meetings in Oslo, Lima and Vienna. Also, I am proud to say that we have signed on to the Wellington declaration. Again, we will be active participants in all the meetings

Perhaps the Liberals should talk more about their carbon tax, which Canadians are more interested in because it will destroy the economy.

Mr. Speaker, the government is providing responsible leadership over our economy and the building of a stronger Canada.

On nuclear energy, the Minister of Natural Resources has been restoring the prudent management this important file deserves, after years of neglect by the previous government. The minister has been acting to address the issues our government inherited by funding legacy liabilities, launching a review of AECL, managing spent fuel and modernizing legislation.

As has been previously raised, the government has accepted the termination of the MAPLE project. Could the minister clarify again for the members the reasons behind this decision?